Since 2002, the presidency -- and consequently powerful committee chairmanships -- lay in the hands of Flaherty and his supporters, a group of white men in their 20s and 30s. Now some of those councilors may have to take a back seat, along with their initiatives, to an emboldened minority caucus. They include Flaherty; Michael Ross of Beacon Hill, Back Bay and Mission Hill; Rob Consalvo of Hyde Park; and Jerry McDermott of Allston-Brighton .